Star wheel feeders



March 13, 1956 F, J. CHEREWICK 2,738,108

STAR WHEEL FEEDERS Filed Nov. 24, 1953 INVENTOR FREDERICK JOHN C HE RE W/C K A T TORNE Y iwd W68 wn 'o STAR WHEEL FEEDERS Frederick John Cherewick, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Application November 24, 1953, Serial No. 394,117

Claims. (Cl. 222-227) My invention relates to improvements in starwheel feeders.

In devices of this kind where the material being fed is of irregular size such as pulp chips or slack coal having relatively large lumps therein, such lumps frequently become engaged between the peripheral edge of a vane and the edge of the opening in the peripheral wall of the cylinder into which the material is fed. In such cases the lump must be sheared by the vane in order for said vane to continue its rotation and carry the material down to discharge.

The present invention contemplates the removal of this.

objection by providing a normally partly filled zone at one end of the cylinder of the device and means for moving oversize particles of material lengthwise and in advance of each vane as said vane approaches the shear line of the cylinder.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of the invention taken on the line 11 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

The numeral 1 indicates a horizontal cylinder having end walls 3 and 4. The cylinder 1 is provided with a rectangular top opening 5 bounded by the end walls 3 and 4 and side walls 7 and 8. The intersection of the cylinder and the side wall 7 will hereinafter be referred to as the shear line 10. A horizontal shaft 12 extends through the longitudinal axis of the cylinder and is carried upon bearings 14. The shaft 12 is adapted to be driven in the direction of the arrows A from any suitable source of power and is fitted with a star wheel 16 having radial vanes 17 curved longitudinally to define helical pockets 18, each of which will in one revolution come into registration at one end with an inlet opening 20 formed in the end wall 3 and at the opposite end with a discharge opening 22 formed in the end wall 4. The openings 20 and 22 in the end walls 3 and 4 will preferably be of the same cross section as the pockets 18. The cylinder is provided with a feed hopper 23 and bridging between the side walls is a bafile plate 24, which extends a short distance inwardly from the end wall 4 to prevent material fed into the hopper from entirely filling the extreme right end as in Figures 1 and 3, of the pockets 18, thereby defining in each pocket a partially vacant zone X as between the dotted line 25 of Figure 3 and the end wall 4. That portion of the baflle which is adjacent the shear line is upwardly inclined as at 27.

Mounted upon brackets 30 at the ends of the cylinder and exteriorly thereof are two sprockets 31 and 32 upon which a horizontal chain 33 is mounted. One run 33A passes through suitable openings 34 (one only shown) formed in the end walls 3 and 4 of the cylinder. The chain 33 is adapted to run in the direction of the arrow 35 or to the right of Figures 1 and 3 and along the lower edge of the side wall 7 and parallel to the shear line 10. The chain 33 is driven in timed relation to the shaft and may be driven in any desired manner, for instance by a worm wheel 37 mounted upon the shaft 12 and driving a worm 38 on a shaft 39 and bevel gears (not shown) operatively connected to the sprocket shaft 40 and its sprocket 31. The gear ratio between the shaft 12 andthe lineal movement of the chain 33 is such that any link of the chain as it travels along the shear line will complete its distance therealong in less time than it will take any vane to traverse said shear line.

The device is adapted to be connected in a pneumatic conveyor line with air supply pipe 41 connected to the inlet opening 20 and the discharge or conveyor pipe 42 connected to the discharge opening 22. The supply pipe 41 and the discharge pipe 42 are shaped to conform to the cross section of the pockets 18 as at 45 and such seg-' mental pipe portion is flared into the normal round pipe a short distance away from the cylinder 1, as at 46.

In operation air under suitable pressure is forced into the cylinder 1 through the pipe 41 and flows through one or more pockets which are passing below the shaft 12 carrying the material fed into the hopper 23 into the pipe 42 to discharge at a remote point. As the material is fed into the hopper it falls freely into the pockets for the major portion of their length but as before described, the pockets are not filled at their ends adjacent the end wall 4. The material is urged towards the side wall 7 during its downward movement from the hopper by the rotation of the vanes and if a large particle of material should be carried to a point adjacent the shear line it will be engaged by the run 33A of the chain 33 and will be carried lengthwise of the cylinder in advance of the point of movement of a vane across the shear line. This -movement of the large particle will enable the incoming downward stream of material to pass downwardly with it into a pocket, or it will be carried beyond the dotted line 25 and under the baflle plate 24 where it can drop freely into a vacant zone X and be carried to discharge in the usual way.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A star wheel feeder comprising a horizontal cylinder having a peripheral wall and end walls, a top feed opening and a discharge opening, said feed opening being formed in the peripheral wall of the cylinder and having one side defining a shear line, a star wheel having helically arranged vanes rotatable within the cylinder, an edge of each of said vanes being adapted to sweep across the shear line at an angle as the star wheel rotates, means restricting the feed of material into one end of the feed opening whereby pockets defined between adjacent vanes are left with vacant zones at one end, and means extending parallel to and movable lengthwise of the shear line and operable in timed relation to the star wheel adapted to move material lengthwise of the shear line as said material is urged towards and along said shear line by a rotating vane in the direction of the vacant zones.

2. A star wheel feeder comprising a horizontal cylinder having a peripheral wall and end walls, a top feed opening and a discharge opening, said feed opening being formed in the peripheral wall of the cylinder and having one side defining a shear line, a star wheel having helically arranged vanes rotatable within the cylinder, an edge of each of said vanes being adapted to sweep across the shear line at an angle as the star wheel rotates, means restricting the feed of material into one end of the feed opening whereby pockets defined between adjacent vanes are left with vacant zones at one end and means extending parallel to and movable lengthwise of the shear line and operable in timed Pa tented Mar. 13, 1956 3 r ion t the st r heel adapted to mc e material ur ed towards said shear line by a rotating vane along said shear line in the direciton of the vacant zones, and means fee directing some of the material so urged by the parallel extending means into a vacant zone.

3, A star wheel feeder as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means restrieting the feed of material into one end oi the. feed Opening is an inclined bafile plate extending 0Y6! an end part of the star wheel to direct the material urged along the shear line downwardly into the vacant anes bet e n the van s- 4, A star wheel feeder comprising a horizontal cylinder having a peripheral wall and end walls, a top feed opening and a discharge opening, said feed opening being formed in the peripheral Wall of the cylinder and having one side defining a shear line, a star wheel having helically arranged, vanes rotatable within the cylinder, an edge of eaeh of said vanes being adapted to sweep across the shear line at; an angle as the star wheel rotates, means restricte ing the feed of material into one end of the feed opening whereby pockets defined between adjacent vanes are left with vacant; zones at one end, an endless member extend= ing parallel to and lengthwise of the shear line and operable in timed relation to the star wheel adapted to move material urged towards said shear line by a rotating vane aleng said shear line and in the direction of the vacant zones, the means for restricting the feed of material into one end consisting of a bal'lle plate extending to cover an end of the. starwheel, said endless member having one run extending inside the feed opening and a return run outside of said cylinder.

5. A star wheel feeder comprising a horizontal cylinder having end walls and a peripheral wall, a feed opening in said peripheral wall and a wall extending upwardly from an edge of said feed opening defining a shear line, said cylinder having a discharge opening, a star wheel shaft, a star wheel upon the shaft having helically arranged vanes, said star wheel being rotatably mounted within the cylinder, said vanes being adapted to sweep across the shear line and an endless member extending lengthwise of and P lel to he shear line o impart o material being fed to the cylinder a movement along said shear line in advance of the edge of each vane sweeping across said line and mechanical drive means connecting the shaft to the endless member to impart endwise movement to the endless member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 255,015 Pennington Mar. 14, 1882 1,369,968 Draver Mar. 1, 1921 1,729,032 Cross Sept. 24, 1929 1,875,677 Thaler Sept. 6, 1932 2,652,687 Yellott Sept. 22, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 451,562 Great Britain Aug. 7, 1936 

